Musical instrument



June 15 1926. 7 1,588,636

J. J. WESTBROOK, JR

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed June 16 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .5 I I W" i S W} W 1 "A w a 3% R m I i i i k M 4 I r h I 3 g {Q WITNESSES lNVENTOR ATTORNEYS June 15 1926.

J. J. WESTBROOK, JR

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed June 16 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented June 15, 1926.

UNITED STATES JOHN JAMES WESTBROOK, JR., OF DANVILLE, VIRGINIA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed June 16, 1925.

This invention relates to stringed musical instruments of type known as the steel guitar.

An object of the invention is the provision of a musical instrument having a plurality of groups of strings so arranged that they will produce normally when set in vibration the musical notes of chords of a major scale and chords of a second major scale which is so closely related to the first major scale that all the notes of a musical composition may be produced in a restricted zone thus eliminating the necessity of playing on the tnll length of the instrument.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a musical instrument having a plurality of normally silenced strings and groups of open strings capable of producing the musical notes of the chords of a plu rality of major scales, provision also being made for selectively releasing the silenced strings and simultaneously damping other strings to convert the major chords into minor chords, or to seventh chords, or to ninth chords as may be desired.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a. musical. instrument in which not only the range of musical tones is enlarged to facilitate ease in playing because of the coordination within limited zones of closely associated scales but the scales may be varied by manually operated devices so arranged that a minimum of such elements is required to provide for a great variation in the scale.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification: nevertheless it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modifications which shall define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the ap pended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a stringed musical instrument constructed according to the'prin'ciple of my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a view in perspective ofthe coordinated pedals for operating silences for certain of the strings.

Figure 1 is a transverse. vertical section of the-instrument showing a silencer,

Serial No. 37,556.

Figure is afragmentary longitudinal vertical section of the instrument transversely of the silencer. Referring more particularly to the drawngs 1 designates a table having legs 2 reinforced by transverse bars 3. The upper ends of the legs as shown at 4 project above the table to form a rest for a hollow body or sound box 5 of the instrument. The usual sound opening 6 is provided in a sound board 6 of the body. A cross bar 7 is secured atone end on the sound box to which the strings are pinned while pins 8 are employed for securing the opposite ends of the strings. Bridges 9 and 10 support the strings in spaced relation with the sound board of the said box. Fretted finger bars. 11, 12, 13 and 14 are disposed beneath the groups of strings and longitudinally of the sound box. L

The two groups of strings above the bars 11 and 12 are tuned in the chords of E major while the strings above bars 13 and 14 are tuned in the chords of the closely related A major scale. The groups of strings above bars 11 and 13 are tuned respectively an octave lower thanthe corelated groups 12 and 14.

In the first group of strings above bar 14, strings 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 when played produce the chord of A major including the notes E, C sharp, A, E of the treble clef and A and E of the bass clef. String 16 is normally damped or silenced but when open produces the note of C natural. String 21 between bars 13 and 14 is normally damped but when open produces the note of B.

In the second group of strings above bar 13, strings 22, 24L and 25 produce normally the respective notes A, E and C sharp of the A major chord with C sharp below the treble clet. Strings 26 and 27 when vibrated sound the respective notes A and E of the bass clef. String 23, and 25 are normally silenced but when open produce the respective notes of G and C natural.

Of the three stringsdesignated by the numerals 28, 29, and disposed between the fret bars 12 and 13, string 29 is always open but strings 2S and 30 are normally closed or damped. However. when these strings are released for producing; tones they give respectively the notes F sharp and D while string 29 produces These} notes are formed in the treble; clef.

Strings 31, 32, 33, 341, 35 and. 36 are normally open and respectively produce the notes B, G sharp, E in the treble clef and B, E, B in the bass clef. This group of strings it will be appreciated when played gives the chord of E major. String 32 which is normally damped produces When open G natural.

String 3'? is normally damped but when open is pitched to the note of l sharp in the treble. Strings 38 and 40 give the respective notes of E and B of the treble clei with 13 below the clef While strings 4-1, 48, d lproduce normally notes G sharp B and E of the bass clef.

String 89 is damped but is tuned to the note of D in the treble and pitched between E and B of the respective strings 38 and 40. String 42 is normally silenced by a damper but yields when released the note of G natural forming the minor note of the related tone of G sharp produced by string 41.

Having described the series of st "lugs and their functions for producing successively two A major groups of chords for both treble and bass and two E major groups of chords for both treble and bass, I Will now proceed to set forth a mechanism Which Will convert these chords into the relative minor, seventh and nintn chords.

Four rectangularly shaped frames 15, 46, 4:7 and 48 are slidably mounted for vertical movement in guides 49 secured to the side Walls of the sound box 5. Frame 45 has a top bar 50 provided With a pad 51 for silencing string 42, a pad '52 for silencing string 3%, a pad 53 for silencing string 25, and a pad for silencing string 16.

Frame 45 has a top bar 55 normally do pressed and therefore spaced from the se rics of strings but when moved upwardly toward the strings pads 56, 5'4", 58 and 59 will dampen the respective strings ll, 32, 25 and 16. Frame t? has a top barwith pads 61, 62 and 6S normally damping strings 39, 30 and While frame 4&8 has pads 6i, and 66 normally damping the respective strings 37, 28 and 21.

Each of the frames is provided with a do pending bracket 6?. A red 68 connects the bracket of frame as With a pedal 69 pivoted on a shaft 70 mounted in a casing 71 from Which the pedal projects. A rod 72 supports the frame 15 in spaced relation with the springs and is connected its lower end With one end of lever 73 pivoted in bearings 74- in the casing "Z1. The free end 75 of the lever en aged by the pedal 69 so that when the pedal 69 is depressed the end 75 is lowered and the opposite end of the lever is raised moving the pads on frame d6 into engagement with the adjacent strings while the pads on frame 45 are moved away from their respective strings. A spring 76 returns the pedal 69 to its normal position when released by the toot of the player,

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Frame 47 is elevated by a rod 77 connecting the bracket on said frame with a pedal 78 pivoted on shaft 70. A spring 79 retains the pedal elevated normally.

A. third pedal 80 rockably mounted on shaft 70 is held in a predetermin d position by a spring 81 and supports the frame 48 with the pans engaging their respective strings by means of a rod 8:2 secured between the pedal and the bracket depending from said frame. The pedal 80 has an arm resting on pedal 78 so that when pedal 80 is depressed pedal '38 will likewise be de pressed but pedal 78 is free to be actuated independently of pedal 80.

The rods 68, '72, 77 and 82 are guided in their movements by a perforated box 84 carried on braces 85 and these rods are further guided by passing through perforations in the top of the pedal casing 71.

When the pedals are normally inoperative certain strings as has been explained when played will produce chords in A major and E major; lVhen pedal 69 is depressed,

frame 45 will be released, thereby opening the strings silenced by the pads in the frame, and lever '73 is actuated to raise frame 46 and dampen strings 16, 25, 32 and 41. This action changes the A and E major chords into the relative Avand E minor chords.

Vfhen pedal 69 is released these minor chords are converted back to the major chords.

When pedal 78 is actuated strings 23, 30 and 40 are released which gives three additional notes to the open strings, so that chords in A major, chords in A seventh, and two other chords in seventh are produced when the strings are played.

When pedal 80 is depressed all strings are open except those silenced by the pads on frame 45 so that two chords in A major, two chords in A ninth and two pairs of chords in E ninth may be played at Will.

In addition to these various groups of chords other combinations may be had by depressing pedal 69 in conjunction with either of the pedals 78 and 80.

ll; will be noted that not only a great many combinations of chords are adapted to be played by depressing the various pedals in a cooperative manner but that the capacity of the usual steelguit-ar has been enlarged by the four groups of chords of which two belong to the A major scale and the other two to the E major. Furthermore scope of the instrument has been increased to an extent that a player is not required to operate the strings longitudinally to obtain the notes of higher pitch but such notes may be produced by a transverse movement of the hands on adjacent groups of strings. For instance strings 15, 16, 18, 19, 20 and '21 are pitched higher in A major than the f0lla ns st r t ss s a? and III;

28 which are also tuned to a lower chord of A major.

Likewise the two groups of E major chords are also pitched to correspond to higher and lower chords of the scale.

The strings which are normally damped by the pads in the respective frames are silenced to such an extent that it they were struck no sounds would follow so that the chords evolved by playing would have no discords since the damped strings will not vibrate.

I claim:

1. A steel guitar provided with a pinrality of groups of strings to normally pro-- duce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, means for nori'ually damping the last mentioned strings, and selective means for damping certain of the undainped strings, and means for releaiing the damped strings, means cooperatively connecting the normal damping means with selective damping means whereby the normal damping means is released by the selective damping means, said selective damping means when operated causing damping of certain of the undamped strings.

2. A steel guitar provided with a plurality of groups of strings to normally pro duce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, means for normally damping the last mentioned strings, and selective means for damping certain of the nndamped strings, and means for releasing the damped strings, means operatively connecting the normal damping means with the selective damping means so that when the selective damping means is actuated, the normal damping means will release certain strings for converting the major chords into minor chords.

3. A steel guitar provided with a plurality of groups of strings to norn'ially produce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, a plurality of operative means for normally damping the last mentioned strings, certain of the operative means being actuated to release strings for converting the normal chords capable of be ing produced by the undamped strings into variations oi said chords.

4. A steel guitar provided with a plu rality of groups of strings to normally pro duce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, a plurality of operative means for normally damping the last mentioned strings, certain of the operative means being actuated to release strings for converting the normal chords capable of being produced by the undamped strings into sevenths of said chords.

5. A steel guitar provided with a plurality of groups of strings to normally pro duce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, a plurality of operative means for normally damping the last mentioned strings, a pair of the operative means being actuated to release strings for converting the normal chords capable of being produced by the iiindamped strings into ninths of said chords.

6. A steel guitar provided with a plurality of groups of strings to norn'ially produce a plurality of major chords, a pluralit ot' damped strings, a plurality of operative means for normally damping the last mentioned strings, means connecting a pair of the operative means together, so that when one operated, both of the operative means will be actuated to release strings for converting the normal chords capable of being produced by the undamped strings into ninths oi? said chords.

7. A steel guitar provided with a plurality of groups of strings to normally produce a pin ality of major chords, a plurality of damped. strings, a plurality of bars disposed transversely of the strings, spaced pads on the bars, means for normally maintaining the pads in engagement with the damped strings, a bar having pads normally out of engagement with certain of the undamped strings, and pedals connected with the bars for moving the pads on the first mentioned bars out of engagement with the damped strings and for moving the pads of the second mentioned bar into engagement with certain strings, means for operatively connecting a pair of the pedals associated with the first mentioned bars for simultaneous operation.

8. A steel guitar provided with a plurality 01 groups of strings to normally produce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, a plurality of bars disposed transversely of the strings, spaced pads on the bars, means for normally maintaining the pads in engagement with the damped strings, a bar having pads normally out of engagement with certain of the undamped strings, and pedals connected with the bars for moving the pads on the first mentioned bars out of engagement with the damped strings and for moving the pads of the second mentioned bar into engagei'nent with certain strings, one of the pedals causing actuation of one of the first mentioned. bars to release certain strings and to cause the second mentioned bar to engage certain strings.

9. A steel guitar provided with a plurality of groups of strings to normally produce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, a plurality of bars disposed transversely of the strings, spaced pads on the bars, means for normally maintaining the pads in engagement with the damped strings, a bar having pads normally out of engagement with certain of the undamped strings, pedals connected with the first mentioned bars, a lever connected with the sec-- 0nd mentioned bar and adapted to be operated by actuation of one of the first mentioned pedals to cause a release of certain strings and to cause damping of other strings whereby the major chords are con verted into minor chords.

A steel guitar provided with a plural- 4 cups of strings to normally produce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, a pin lity of bars disposed transversely of the strings, spaced pads on the bars, means for normally maintaining the pads in engagement with the damped strings, a bar having pads normally out of engagement with certain of the undamped strings, pedals connected with the first mentioned bars, a lever connected with the second mentioned bar and adapted to be operated by actuation of one of the first mentioned pedals to cause a release 0t certain strings and to cause damping of other strings whereby the major chords are converted into minor cnords, a finger projecting from one of the first mentioned pedals and engaging another one of said pedals to cause actuation of both pedals Whenone is operated.

messes 11. A steel guitar provided with a plurality of groups oi strings to normally produce a plurality of major chords, a plurality of damped strings, a plurality of bars disposed transversely of the strings, spaced pads on the bars, means for normally maintaining the pads in engagement With the damped strings, a bar having pads normally out of engagement with certain of the undainped strings, pedals connected with the first mentioned bars, a lever connected with the second mentioned bar nd adapted to he operated by actuation of one of the first mentioned pecals to cause a release of certain strings and to cause damping of other strings Wnerehy the major chorus are converted into minor chords, a finger projecting from one of the first mentioned pedals and engaging another one of said pedals to cause actuation of both pedals when one is operated, means for returning the pedals to an inoperative position, one of the last mentioned pedals being operable independently of the other pedal.

JOHN J. WESTBROUK, 5n. 

